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Rose Heichelbech

The sounds of the treadle and the smell of machine oil bring back a lot of good memories. From the birth of the sewing machine all the way up to the ’60s and ’70s, the old machines just have a look and feel that no modern machine can match. Not just the old Singers, but even the Japanese clones are visually so interesting to look at. And we even love the novelty machines that were trying to be hip! Let’s take a look back at the fabulous design and sturdy workmanship of antique and vintage sewing machines.

The original Singer machines are still collector’s item these days. These heavy duty workhorses are the types of machines our mothers and grandmothers sewed our clothes on and they bring back so many memories- even for those who don’t sew!

When the post-war Japanese clones came out, functions like reverse stitching were finally making their way into the lives of American women. And what a luxury that was! Raise your hand if you have sewn on a machine with no back stitch and had to turn your project around in the machine or else pull one thread through and tie it off.

The details on these old machines is just a joy to look at. It seems like every part that could be decorated back then was! It’s a shame that designs like these were phased out, but at the same time it makes the old machines all that much more special.

There are over 5,000 Singer-clone brands out there, many of them designed to be as good or better than the Singer machines. The sewing machines of the ’60s began to have fancy features like stitch functions, but really they were all quite simple mechanisms when you think about today’s computerized sewing machines. But, for us, there’s nothing like an old metal sewing machine, whether it’s pink, black, blue, or green.

Whether you sew or not, or if you collect sewing machines, these beauties keep the memories of our childhood alive. From the ornate to the sleek, there’s nothing quite like a gorgeous vintage sewing machine!